A plan to reverse pension cuts for working-age military
retirees easily passed the House today.

Alabama's Legislative Delegation voted unanimously to repeal the 1 percent cut to pension payments for military retirees younger than 62. The cuts were part
of the two-year budget agreement passed in October as part of a deal to end the
16-day government shutdown.

Rep. Martha Roby said she was pleased to see cost-of-living
adjustments restored for military retirees.

"This country made promises to our men and women in
uniform, and we must keep those promises," Roby said. "For the last
several weeks, we have been exploring ways to get this done. I am pleased the
final House plan reverses the cuts and pays for it through alternative spending
reductions going forward."

Several ideas to do away with the cuts, including removing a loophole that allows
illegal aliens to claim child tax credits, have been floated in recent weeks. Other talks centered on repealing the pension
cuts in exchange for GOP support of raising the debt ceiling.

In the end, the House voted 326-90 in favor of the plan that
will restore the full pensions by extending sequestration cuts to
mandatory spending under Medicare for one year, through 2024 instead of 2023.
That extension will create about $2.3 billion in savings.

The House's passage sends the bill to the Senate, which is
already considering its own bill.